LOCAL NEWS: Bank Robberies in Cuyahoga County up in 2011

CLEVELAND – The number of bank robberies in Cuyahoga County rose in 2011, according to the FBI.

FBI special agent Scott Wilson said there have been 69 bank robberies in the county so far this year, including two Thursday morning. Wilson said there were 55 bank robberies in Cuyahoga County in 2010.

Wilson did not blame the economy for the rise in robberies, but said it is common for there to be an increase in bank robberies during the holiday season.

Wilson said two men robbed a Dollar Bank on SOM Center Road in Mayfield Heights around 9:45 a.m. Thursday. Around the same time, Wilson said a a man robbed a Charter One bank on Lorain Avenue in Cleveland. He handed the teller a note demanding money and was given cash, according to Wilson.